Natural products remain to be the best sources of new drugs and drug leads, and biosynthesis of natural products continues to push the frontiers of chemistry, biochemistry, and, more recently, structural biology. Major advances have been made in the biosynthesis of natural products since the last Seminar in 2001. In this application, we propose to hold the "7th US-Japan Seminar on the Biosynthesis of Natural Products" with thematic topics on "Enzymology, Structural Biology, and Drug Discovery" on June 22-26, 2008 in San Diego, California. The general purpose of the Seminar is to bring together leading researchers from the United States and Japan to discuss these rapidly developing aspects of natural product biosynthesis. Under the impact of genomics, structural biology, and rapid emergence of a suite of recombinant DNA technologies, the field of natural product biosynthesis is undergoing and likely to continue major growth and development over the next decade. The primary aim in organizing the Seminar at this time is to discuss how scientists interested in biosynthesis of natural products can exploit the enormous amount of information being generated from genome sequencing and rapid access to natural product biosynthetic gene clusters, take advantage of the emerging technologies to address the fundamental chemistry, biochemistry, and genetics governing natural product biosynthesis, and rejuvenate and fully realize the potential of natural products in drug discovery and development. The intellectual interactions among the participants, drawn from a broad range of disciplinary backgrounds and including established leaders of the field, newly minted investigators, and graduate students and postdocs, will have a strong influence on how this growth occurs. Among the 40 U.S. academic participants, 26 are first-timers to this Seminar and 19 started their independent career after 2001, including an increased number of women and minorities. This Seminar will provide an ideal environment for networking, exchanging scientific ideas and research tools, and establishing collaboration among all participants. Further, the Seminar is an outstanding opportunity for the junior participants to interact with leaders in the field, and serves as a great experience and encouragement to students and postdocs who wish to pursue this line of academic endeavor. IMPACT AND MEDICAL RELEVANCE Natural products remain to be the best sources of drugs and drug leads with almost all of the top 25 drugs either natural products or based on them. Understanding the biosynthesis of these compounds is essential for their production by fermentation and for the manipulation of the biosynthetic pathway for the production of derivatives with more desirable properties and for the discovery of new ones. This Seminar will bring together leading researchers from the United States and Japan to discuss how scientists interested in biosynthesis of natural products can exploit the enormous amount of information being generated from genome sequencing and rapid access to natural product biosynthetic gene clusters and take advantage of the emerging technologies to address the fundamental chemistry, biochemistry, and genetics governing natural product biosynthesis, thereby rejuvenate and fully realize the potential of natural products in drug discovery and development. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]